Well I mean this is not something entirely new and most of us has probably contemplated this particularly train of thought at some point in time when we are stress up and need some space to ourselves.

For me, as a city gal I have only entertain the thought in more of a romantic fuzzy way but never seriously! I am fine if it is only going to be a vacation but long term? Hmmmm

So it got me thinking, why does so many people dream of moving to the country?

No really.... what makes all of us think life is going to be simple when we are there? Growing your own crops and having your own cows and sheep’s and whatever is needed. It actually sounds pretty time-consuming !! If you need milk.... you would probably have to get it from the cow early in the morning. You want to eat your steak medium rare? You would probably have to go through the gruesome process of killing the cow before you start preparing that delicious steak you have in mind! All this compared to lazy city people who gets the milk from the fridge in the supermarket and steak nicely cooked and place on your table in a restaurant. What if you feel like having some fast food or pizza during soccer night? We call pizza hut or McDonald’s at the hotline and it gets delivered to our doorstep ! What could be more simple then that?

It is in reality very convenient to live in the city since everything you need or want is just within reach of a few bus/MRT ride away. I can take life at my own pace if I want to. Of course in a small country like Singapore you would wish for less crowds and queues compared to the country life. But the idea of everything slowing down as well, I am just not wired that way ! I get impatient if the bus arrives 5 mins later. I get restless when I am queuing up for stuff.

My recent trip to Perth actually make me appreciate Singapore a little more. In Perth, most of the shop closes at 5pm. If you need some food….. Good luck to you !! There is an almost non-existent public transport over there since cars are so cheap it is actually more convenient to own one!! Complaining about the hot tropic weather in Singapore? It was so freaky cold in Perth that I dread bathing time because all I want to do is curl up under my blanket and keep myself warm. Of course there are perks to living in Peth. The air is really fresher at the other side of the world. Houses and cars are so dirt cheap you would wonder why are we willing to pay so much in Singapore? We could probably maintain our own vineyard with that kind of cash.

Frankly speaking people who talk about moving to the country because they are stress. Well let’s just say if you are easily stress out in the city, you probably won’t survive much better in the country. Of course there are fresher air and the surrounding is a little less chaotic but there will be other issues line up when you are there.

It is actually what is within us that matters. If a person is competitive by nature, most probably we would give ourselves undue stress to get promoted, earn more money, move to a bigger house, get a bigger car- the Singapore dream as they call it. However if you are a laidback person who does not care about any of this, you could probably just take the public transport, live in a small HDB flat, remain in your job for the next 30 years with a yearly increment and you probably could survive in Singapore too. But the competitive environment that we are brought up in has instill in us the need to be successful.

Anyway, just like what my instructor at a recent course I went to said.- there is no work life balance, only work life management. It is how you manage them so as maintain a stability in your overall life. Such a simple concept but behind it lies a whole lot of meaning !